NCAA Basketball Season is Right Around the Corner

November 9th will kick off the 2021-22 college basketball season and right away we will have some really good matchups. Early season non-conference games are a great way for everyone to see how some of the powers stack up against each other and how some of the low to mid-majors will be in the coming season. To begin the season there is always a tournament or showcase that gives us a few teams to follow during the season that were not predicted to be a Top 25 team in the country.

The first week of this upcoming season is no different as we have quite a few games that should give us a sneak peek into the top teams in the country. We start off on opening night with two great games and then throughout the week we will see more. There are so many good games this week that it is tough to pare down to just five to take a look at. To follow will be a look at some of the top games of NCAA men’s basketball opening week of play.

Kansas and Michigan State Kick Off the Champions Classic

One of the first great games of opening week will be the first game of the annual Champions Classic. The Kansas Jayhawks and the Michigan State Spartans will meet at 6:00pm on the court at Madison Square Garden. In big games to start the year you cannot get much better than this one to open the Champions Classic. Kansas is the preseason #3 team in the country while Michigan State starts the year unranked.

Both of these teams have high hopes to make it deep in the postseason and both have their sights set on a conference championship. Michigan State had one of their worst years in recent memory last season but look to use this year as a building block to the future. Kansas is also coming off their worst year in a while according to the metrics but reload for this year. Both of these teams have newcomers that will be impactful but I would lean the Jayhawks, as the favorites in this one as they have so much experience.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.